The thing to remember, is that unless you have _actually_ proven that people want to use it, and are doing so, then any value that might be attached to the soft

The thing to remember, is that unless you have _actually_ proven that people want to use it, and are doing so, then any value that might be attached to the software is hypothetical. If an investor had $100k, they could put it in the bank, and with no work and no risk whatsoever, they would earn $3K to $5K in interest (depending on the bank). Now, if they were to spend the $100K buying your software, how much return could they be guaranteed? Not a likely or possible return, but a guaranteed return, without any risk? The easy part in any start-up is writing the code. The hard part is marketing it, building the user base, and re-writing the code when you realise that what you thought the users wanted isn't actually what they wanted at all. What you want to sell is not a startup, but just software. Depending on how complex the software is, it might sell for between $100 to $1000. Maybe a more for B2B software in specialized industries, but for any consumer stuff, that would be the upper limit. If you have this software written, why not take the plunge and try to turn it into a company yourself? After all, you've put in the work so far, so shouldn't you get the rewards?